Newsletter

Plans to fix the rush-hour traffic congestion at Butler Boulevard and Interstate 95 suffered a serious setback Friday when Jacksonville failed to win a $17.6 million federal grant.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority sought the grant through the ultra-competitive TIGER program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. But when winners were announced, the Butler interchange wasn’t among the $500 million awarded to 47 transportation projects in 34 states.

“Clearly, it’s disappointing the money didn’t come through because the project needs to be done,” JTA spokesman John Finotti said.

When it will be done is now unknown.

JTA is using a $2.8 million federal grant to do partial design. The TIGER grant would have enabled JTA to finish design and buy right of way for the project.

The current work, and the money, will run through the end of 2013. Beyond that, there is no local, state or federal money source, period.

Estimated to cost $125 million, the project would widen Butler Boulevard at I-95 and build elevated flyover ramps so drivers can switch from I-95 to Butler Boulevard without coming to a stop for traffic lights.

Finotti said if the city were to extend the 6-cent local option gas tax, slated to expire in 2016, the JTA board could consider tapping into that revenue for the Butler Boulevard interchange.

Mayor Alvin Brown has said repeatedly he opposes extending the gas tax.

Two Florida projects won TIGER grants Friday. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority will get $18 million for an $83 million project building a streetcar line in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Tampa won $10.9 million for a $15.6 million project to complete sections of the Tampa Riverwalk and construct the Selmon Greenway in downtown.

The Jacksonville Port Authority, which won a $10 million TIGER grant last year for a railroad yard to switch cargo containers between trains and ships, did not apply this year for a grant.

The TIGER grants — short for Transportation Investment Generating Economy Recovery — have doled out about $3.1 billion nationwide in the past four years. The congressional elimination of earmarks, which previously let federal lawmakers direct a portion of transportation dollars to local projects, has made the TIGER program the main pot of money for cities and states to gain project-specific grants.

JaxPort plans to seek a grant in the next round of TIGER funding, setting up the possibility the port and JTA would be competing with each other for the grant program.

In the meantime, traffic continues. Interstate 95 carries an average of 140,000 vehicles daily and Butler Boulevard handles 87,500 vehicles daily in the vicinity of the interchange. Building the flyover would help alleviate some of the bigger backups, particularly during rush hour.

“This is an extremely important project,” Finotti said, “because it’s one of the most congested areas in Jacksonville.”

David Bauerlein: (904) 359-4581

JTA fails to win grant to advance interchange at Butler Boulevard and Interstate 95- By